Audience doesn't discriminate between male, female driven cinema: Meghna Gulzar

Filmmaker Meghna Gulzar doesn't agree with the distinction between movies as female-driven or male-centric, and says films are films irrespective of which gender takes centrestage.

"Women cannot get good box office numbers is becoming a very jaded argument. Because the trade itself is saying that audience does not discriminate between female-driven or male-centric films," Meghna told IANS.

"The thing is that we don't call male-centric films that, so why do we call female-driven films female-driven films. We need to lose this discrimination. Films are films. Good films will work and bad films won't work," added the "Raazi" maker.

Meghna dabbled with the subject of surrogacy in her debut film "Filhaal" back in 2002. She narrated the ordeal of a newly-married couple dealing with incompatibility in "Just Married: Marriage Was Only the Beginning!".

She dealt with the infamous Aarushi Talwar murder case with "Talvar". And hit the jackpot with Alia Bhatt-starrer "Raazi". Now, she is working on biopic on Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw.

The daughter of poet, lyricist and filmmaker Gulzar says success was "Raazi" came as a surprise to her.

"There was tremendous relief because there was faith of so many people who were part of the film...That was riding on the film as well. It was very important for the faith of people to be redeemed and there was just overwhelming gratitude that followed the sense of surprise and anonymity with which this film was expected."

--IANS

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